Knit Picks has discontinued their "Decadence" yarn (100% alpaca, bulky weight, 3-3½ sts = 1" on size 9-11 [5.5mm-8.0mm] needles, 121 yards/100g for $5.99 per hank). I am SOOOOOO bummed!!!! I made myself Knit Pick's "I'll Pack a Hat" hat from this yarn, and I have to say, it was one of the most practical, useful, well-loved things I've EVER made for myself. Where I live, it not only gets cold in the winter, but we have sloppy slushy rain here sometimes too, and that hat not only kept me warm, but gosh, it kept me dry, too! The hat is felted.

So now what? I'm looking for a viable yarn substitute...because the hat is felted, it has to be 100% alpaca (I noticed many alpaca yarns are blends). I don't really even want any wool blended into it (even though it will felt) because I got "spoiled" with my other 100% alpaca hat. The 100% alpaca is so warm, soft, and yummy! So I'm looking over the internet for other 100% alpaca bulky weight yarns (I need 242 yards for the pattern), and I CANNOT BELIEVE how EXPENSIVE they are!!! That hat that I made cost me $12, which I can easily spend without feeling bad. But if you're talking about $14 for an 80-some yard skein, forget it!!!! I can't see spending like $30 for a basic hat!!! And one that I'll only wear during the winter, to boot.

Where can I find reasonably priced 100% alpaca yarn? I'm looking for blue or maybe tan. I'm hoping it comes in bulky weight--even worsted (because I can double strand that), but nothing thinner than worsted, because triple or quadruple stranding will get to be too messy and expensive probably. Help!